Sleeping in back of Van.. What bed

Going on a few road trips next year and will be sleeping in my Caddy Van.
What bed should i get?
Been looking at air beds and a sleeping bag.
any other suggestions?
Possibly 2 weeks in it in the summer

any other suggestions

Asking the Mods to move your post out of Classifieds? 😉

Done.

And,

Get a closed-cell “self-inflating” mat. Air beds are rubbish.

If you have the space get a fishing bed-chair.

I had to sleep on one for about 4 days, way better than a normal campbed or an air mattress. As comfortable as a proper bed.

Something like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/KOALA-PRODUCTS-OXFORD-Super-Bedchair/dp/B0036I0PDK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473112522&sr=8-1&keywords=fishing+beds+for+adults

I find one of these works well.

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/freedom-trail-camp-bed-4-leg-p321943

Rolls up to take very little space and can be put together/dismantled in a couple of minutes.

A closed cell foam mat (karrimat etc) underneath your sleeping bag and on top of the bed will keep it extremely cosy in the very coldest months if you need it.

I use this

🙂

That ain’t no Caddy. Don’t forget the poor lad will have to leave the rear doors open to stick his legs out. That is unless he’s a short arse. Can we say that? I think we can after Brexit. I maybe wrong, but I do call a spade a shovel.

My old works sprinter had the old mattress off the sofa bed chucked in it before the Welsh 100 tt champs on Saturday night .Me and the missus squeezed in between the tools and the dog for a nights kip

Used sofa beds, Ikea futon mattress, proper camper mattresses in a proper sized Van, in the caddy I hired it was a thermarest.

A tent would have been better

We’ve got Outwell camp beds and one of those thin self inflating mat things. Not the cheapest but really top notch quality, fold up nice and neat and compact and very comfy and doesn’t squeak and creak every time you think about moving or turning over. I sleep better on that in a tent than I do in my own bed.

Mark90 – what kind of bed is that? it’s not a rib? home knitted?.

Looking for inspiration for an incoming T5, rock n roll no good, need to be able to get a bike or 2 up the middle.

[viewing of thread serves to further increase van desirability level] 😕

It’s a home made setup that was already in the van when I bought it, the previous owner was an outdoorist too.

There are two removable boards across the van for the front section, which over lap the folded middle seat to give a good length bed. These can form a handy ‘shelf’ behind the middle seat or be stored vertically behind the seat (as shown) to give full load space. The rear end of the bed is two fold up sections attached to framework/storage built in. The whole lot is ply topped with foam and then carpet, firm but quite comfortable really. Two bikes comfortably fit under the bed with front wheels off.

There are also a second set of floor mounts for the middle seat set back from the normal ones, too close to add a third row, but that puts the seat under the bed out of the way. Or when only the rear boards are down and the seat up it gives a nice spacious seating area, front seats on swivels.

Outwell Dreamcatcher 7.5 double

Very comfortable indeed, and rolls up small. Far more comfy than an airbed. In fact the most comfortable thing I’ve slept in that wasn’t in a house or a hotel. And tbh more comfortable than a lot of hotels…

Looks ace Mark.

Looks ace Mark.

Thanks, as I said not my work, but it is obvious that a lot of thought went into the design from the way it all fits together in various configurations, and it does seem a practical setup depending on your needs.

We have a T5 with a rock and roll bed that is pretty uncomfortable on its own. I am am currently hunting for the best thing to make it more comfortable especially for long trips when we are away for a few weeks.

Currently tried a cheap self inflating mattresses, but that only made it marginally better. Also tried a Ikea foam topper but that actually made it worse.

I am now thinking that to get it like our normal bed you actually need quite a bit of thickness to sink into when you lie down. Tried a memory foam type mattress at my brothers house that was around 60 -70mm thick and that seemed really comfortable. Only problem was that it doesn’t pack up small and is really heavy.

So interested to see what others think.

Aye, trying to learn from other peoples mistakes is well worth it, lots of the T5 conversions are not fit for MTB use, no room.

Far more comfy than an airbed

Yep double airbeds are a real pain, one person gets in and catapults the other out!

single mattress off the spare bed..If its too long get a proper van!

Not a futon mattress. They fold up sure, and are reasonably well padded, but the are pretty solid and are not that comfy all told.

I still use one in my van of course, but was planning on adding a 25mm double thermarest over the top to help my poor aching bones out.

We use a futon in our Vivaro stealth camper. It was pretty good at first but after a year the padding compressed a bit and became uncomfortable. I nabbed some foam from work and cut it into 4 off 1200mm x 1200mm squares and the Mrs put them in an old quilt cover in 2 pairs of two. We put that underneath and it’s fine now and we can fold it in half and tuck it under the futon when that is folded. Result.

I’ve got the thickest self inflating mat I could lay my hands on. I just kept going in Cotswold until I found one I liked. They always seem to have a sale on.

Ended up with an Ayacucho model about 50mm thick that was half price at 60 quid. It’s a huge step up in comfort from an air bed. Seems nice and tough and I don’t wake up with my arse or hips pressed against the floor. Even with the valves open it offers a lot of support so I imagine a puncture would not be the end of the world.

Carp fishing bed chair, even if you park on a slope you can still sleep on the level.

Cheers.

Outwell Dream catcher will do the trick.
Will get a camping stove

I’ve used a single memory foam mattress in the back of a caddy, had enough room with the bulkhead and I’m 5 10″

My T4 is like a simple version of Mark90’s set up.
Permanent, carpeted wheel arch boxes to the height of the bench seat folded flat, then I slide in two pieces of thick ply the width of the van. One slips over the other to allow the bench seat to be used for travel.
2 decent self inflating mattress’s = a good night’s sleep.
Being flat they store easily in the garage till I need them.

Couple of cheap self inflating decathalon matresses for me. £12 each. Sorted. Also handy is the low folding table they do, saves losing keys, phone etc in the van mess and helps keep the beer from being spilt

I’d seriously consider some kind of insulation in the van if you haven’t already, and keep a window cracked open just a tad.

If theres enough room, I can’t stress just how comfortable US Army camp cot beds are – they actually offer some support and I’ve hardly ever woken up with such a relaxed/stiffness free back when staying away from home.

this type:

Looks good Ninfan, great alternative to big cumbersome, permanent bed in the Transporter. Likey.

Liking a Ninfan post. Christ, whatever next? asking Renton for bike maintenance advice? Binners for dietary tips? Flashy for budget airline reviews?…. 😆

we have one of these in the back of our T5 kombi.

loads of storage underneath, I’ll box it in once i get the chance. kombi double seat in the back folds forward, frame slides out to form a decent double. outwell self inflating mattress on top.

x2 for Ninfans army cot bed, theyre great. I bought a cheapo memory foam mattress topper to go on top of it, its amazingly comfy!

Loving all the suggestions in here, just take a look at the pic of the back of a caddy I posted up there 😉

Loving all the suggestions in here, just take a look at the pic of the back of a caddy I posted up there

All very well, but when I go biking for a weekend, I don’t take a road bike, or a bike bag, and all that other shit goes under the bed. Leaves plenty room for a bike and a bed.

No just most of the suggestions won’t actually fit in a caddy

I use one of those cots Ninfan pictures. very comfy. you may need some sort of lever to set the thing up though. they are under some tension! I use an old crank arm.

Hammock would be my suggestion – but I don’t think you’ll have the length or height required…

Take the bulkhead out of the caddy and you will get most beds in there.
I just use a self inflating mat and slide the passenger seat as far forward as it goes. I’m 6’2″ and fit in fine.